Insect droppings threaten to turn India's Taj Mahal green

Since its completion in 1654 the Taj Mahal has endured attacks from all sides, it was attacked by the Jats, defaced by the British army and stained by air pollution. Now a new threat has been identified: insect excrement.

Swarms of insects breeding in a polluted river near the Taj Mahal are threatening the intricate marble inlay work at the 17th century monument to love by leaving green and black patches of waste on its walls, archaeological experts said on Monday.

Workers scrub the walls clean every day, but the regular scrubbing can damage the floral mosaics and shiny marble surface, said Bhuvan Vikram of the Archaeological Survey of India.

"A series of marble panels depicting plant motifs on the walls or reflective tiles used in this part of the monument are becoming disfigured," Mr Vikram said.

Meanwhile authorities are looking for a permanent solution to the problem created by the insects from the genus Goeldichironomus, a type of elongated fly that resembles a mosquito, that is proliferating in the polluted Yamuna River.

The "dying" river Yumuna is believed to be the ultimate cause of the issueCredit:
AFP

The river has stagnated to the point that it no longer supports fish that once kept the insects in check, environmentalist Yogesh Sharma said.

A report has found that the creeping green stains are insect excrement, with environmentalist Brij Khandelwal saying it is because the adjoining river is dying.

"The preliminary survey report says that the polluted Yamuna river at the back of the monument is contributing to this problem," he said.

Brij Khandelwal, Agra environmental activist and author, told ABC that the ultimate cause of the issue is that the Yamuna river is dying.

"There there is no water. There is only effluents and industrial waste flowing down from Delhi to the Taj Mahal," Mr Khandelwal said.

In addition, heavy algal growth and deposits of phosphorus from ash dumped by a nearby cremation ground "are the primary source of food for this particular species of insect," said Girish Maheshwari, who heads the Department of Entomology at St John's College in the northern city of Agra.

The highest elected official of the state of Uttar Pradesh, where the Taj Mahal is located, called the insect menace a matter of "serious concern."

Tourist guides have demanded action, worried the negative press will threaten their livelihoods.

Guide Shamshuddin Khan told Australian broadcaster ABC that he had a tough time answering questions about growing greenish patches on the white walls.

"This is like a fungus, growing onto the walls. When they see this kind of thing they say 'Taj is getting dirty!' The dirtiness is increasing, that kind of green fungus is increasing day by day," he said.

"Officials have been asked to investigate as why there is sudden increase in number of these insects and how to control their population," Uttar Pradesh state spokesman Navneet Sehgal said.

The Taj Mahal was built by Mogul Emperor Shah Jahan between 1632 and 1654 for his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal, and houses their graves and a mosque.